To say that she was approaching the shrine with trepadation would be an understatement. For some reason, it felt like the fur along her spine was arching, and a chill ran through her body all the way down to her paws. There was something that just felt different about this shrine. Horae hadn't approached too many shrines this closely before, but it was very eerie to be searching something out that may directly be against her own religion. But...what harm could it be that she just wanted a little luck when she got home? She to be honest with herself...she deeply missed Kasih, more than she had thought possible. It was easy to take advantage of something that was always beside you. Now that she was so far from home, she realized that there were many things she cared about more once they were no longer a constant presence.
"This feels so strange," she spoke to herself, realizing that she was completely alone at the shrine. The silver leopon (as he had corrected her once she realized she hadn't know what to call him) had said that this was one of their more popular shrines, so how was it that it was just her and this massively large rock? The are around the largest stone was littered with many little ones. She didn't know what they mean, but guessed that it showed the patronage that random strangers left in offerings towards this Goddess of Love. The soft chirping of birds had even quieted, like they were anticipating something Horae could only dream about.
The peace that the quietness brought was reassuring. She took a deep breathe, sat in front of the stone, and let her mind unwind. She hadn't really taken a moment to sit and think since the excursion began. It had been a stressful couple of weeks, and the daunting task of walking around the entire mountain range to get back home was even more overwhelming. Were things ok back home? Was...Kasih even thinking about her? Her mind told her that it was nothing to worry about, but her heart still nipped at bits of doubt. They had never really gone official together, Horae just assuming that everything was fine left unsaid. "Should I....really ask her? I cannot imagine the Great Lion would ever be against our union. Since Laelia's heartbreak, I had never really felt happy until I began to spend time with her. So why do I carry these minor doubts within me, so far from home?"
"Because you leave it hanging."
The sudden interruption of her quiet and tender moment shocked the dark brown lioness to a point of anger, jumping and swirling around to see someone approaching her. Horae's eyes iwdened, and she felt her jaw slack a bit as she looked at a lioness... with wings. And she looked so much like Kasih it made her heart tighten. And the spitting image of Kasih's mother. "Wha...who. Where did you come from?"
Mo'onasi was used to the shock of mortals that she didn't let it get to her anymore. She contined to walk carefully towards the dark lioness, then past her until she sat down immediately next to her shrine. Her small brown wings were tucked against her side, if impossible to ignore against her soft cream coat. Her olive eyes had a twinge of sadness in them, just at the edges of the mischief that danced in the shaded light from the trees above. "You have come to visit my shrine; I am here to listen to what questions you may want answered. I do not know everything, but I've listened to enough troubled hearts to offer some guidance on what may be done. My name is Mo'onasi."
Horae's brows furrowed in mild distrust and disbelief. "You claim that, and yet I've seen you before. You look like a lioness in my home pride, and her name is Momo." She kept herself a bit away from the winged beast, not sure if it was something to trust or ignore. The fact that this Mo'onasi came out of no where unsettled the patrol leader more than the fact she had wings.
"....oh?" That was news to the goddess. What was it about her past that was suddenly crawling out of the gloom that seemed to stain the world? Was any of it related to her directly, or just a series of unfortunate coincidences? "Perhaps it is one from my bloodline, but I promise that I haven't played a trick on your, more than just sneaking past you." She leaned on the stone, her olive eyes growing a bit harder as she really looked at the lioness before her.
Strong. Lacking fear, at least in a physical sense. There was the edge of worry in her eyes, though her puffed up chest was rather charming towards the small goddess.
Horae wasn't sure how to approach the subject of wings, and rather decided to focus on the fact that she looked so much like Kasih's mother, as well as just any other lioness (minus the wings, thank you). "So, you claim to be Love? A fickle thing such as that; the Great Lion may answer my questions if I asked him, but he doesn't have much time to listen to the whims of one without his full gaze. I merely just...want to settle my thoughts about someone."
Momo smiled sweetly, her eyes giving the dark brown lioness one more glance before she waved a paw. "Well, by all means, take your time. I don't know if my shrine's keeper will be back soon, but I'll be just on the other side if you'd like someone to talk to. It helps. I would know." She walked around the far side of the massive stone, letting herself disappear in a veil of illusion to rest quietly behind the shrine. She had remained here, returning after the drama with the black god with the hope that she could find someone to answer her own questions. So far, not very many gods had come here, and those that did....didn't know anything of her past life.
Horae sat quietly before the stone, tossing her own feelings around in her heart. Everything pointed to one conclusion; propose to Kasih as soon as they returned to the Mwezi'Johari.
(1,055 words)